I first saw this at NAB earlier in the year when it was in a much bigger Pelicase. Since then it has been changed and improved. It is a small Pelicase that can contain Sony’s new Digital Radio mic drop in receiver for the PDW-700 and PMW-350 along with various handheld and belt pack mic options. The box also has a slot for a V-Lock battery, headphones and all those other little bits and pieces needed not only for audio but also for simple shoots. The concept is that all you would need to carry on a shoot is this kit, the camera and a tripod.
I really like the kit. The new digital radio mics are excellent. Sony will update them to the new frequencies when the old radio mic channels become illegal in 2012. After shooting a corporate event at conference center last year and finding another company using the same radio mic channels as mine, broadcasting their clients confidential information over the airwaves it made me realise just how open analog radio mics are to interception. The digital systems are more secure and far less prone to interference. Also being digital they have many extra tricks such as the ability to remotely turn on and off the transmitters and see the battery levels of the transmitters on the receiver. However all this comes at a price and the Sony DWR-S01D receiver alone sells for over £2,100 and a belt pack transmitter is around £1,500. What I would say though is that my existing radio mic kits have lasted me many years as microphone technology tends to move much more slowly than camera technology.
